A diagnostic study of temperature controls on global terrestrial carbon exchange

The observed interannual variability of atmospheric CO2 reflects short-term variability in sources and sinks of CO2 . Analyses using 13CO2 and O2 suggest that much of the observed interannual variability is due to changes in terrestrial CO2 exchange. First principles, empirical correlations and process models suggest a link between climate variation and net ecosystem exchange, but the scaling of ecological process studies to the globe is notoriously difficult. We sought to identify a component of global CO2 exchange that varied coherently with land temperature anomalies using an inverse modeling approach. We developed a family of simplified spatially aggregated ecosystem models (designated K-model versions) consisting of five compartments: atmospheric CO2 , live vegetation, litter, and two soil pools that differ in turnover times. The pools represent cumulative differences from mean C storage due to temperature variability and can thus have positive or negative values. Uptake and respiration of CO2 are assumed to be linearly dependent on temperature. One model version includes a simple representation of the nitrogen cycle in which changes in the litter and soil carbon pools result in stoichiometric release of plant-available nitrogen, the other omits the nitrogen feedback. The model parameters were estimated by inversion of the model against global temperature and CO2 anomaly data using the variational method. We found that the temperature sensitivity of carbon uptake (NPP) was less than that of respiration in all model versions. Analyses of model and data also showed that temperature anomalies trigger ecosystem changes on multiple, lagged time-scales. Other recent studies have suggested a more active land biosphere at Northern latitudes in response to warming and longer growing seasons. Our results indicate that warming should increase NPP, consistent with this theory, but that respiration should increase more than NPP, leading to decreased or negative NEP. A warming trend could, therefore increase NEP if the indirect feedbacks through nutrients were larger than the direct effects of temperature on NPP and respiration, a conjecture which can be tested experimentally. The fraction of the growth rate not predicted by the K-model represents model and data errors, and variability in anthropogenic release, ocean uptake, and other processes not explicitly represented in the model. These large positive and negative residuals from the K-model may be associated with the Southern Oscillation Index

Foreign direct investment from China: implications for British business partners

Multinational enterprises from developing economies have been reshaping the global investment landscape since the early 2000s. In particular, companies from China have become increasingly significant outward investors. In fact China is currently the third largest outward investor in the world (UNCTAD 2013). As a relatively new phenomenon the outward investment of Chinese multinationals has not been researched comprehensively. This is especially true of Chinese multinationals undertaking investment activities in advanced economies. Therefore the aim of this research is to extend our knowledge of the investment behaviour of Chinese multinationals in advanced economies. This is achieved through the examination of their reasons for investment, selected entry modes and effects on British business partners. This research takes a multiple case study approach consisting of nine Chinese multinationals from the automotive, manufacturing, IT, telecommunications and medical device sectors. As a qualitative study it is principally based on interview data but also draws on quantitative evidence where appropriate. The findings of this research suggest that the examined firms had diverse competitive advantages and investment motives. The effects of their investments were also varied because they were determined by the MNEs’ investment motives and modes of entry. The strategic asset-seeking investors significantly improved the companies they acquired. They also intensified research and development activities in external partner organisations. Meanwhile the asset-exploiting investors improved consumer welfare, intensified competition in their sectors and generated high value-added business opportunities for British partners at home and abroad. The generally positive effects of Chinese FDI imply that UK policy-makers may wish to step up their efforts to attract further investment from China. The diverse nature of Chinese companies indicates that investment promotion agencies could develop a differentiated strategy to encourage Chinese investors. In addition the benefits derived from collaborating with Chinese multinationals suggest that British firms could be more proactive in forging relationships with them

On the edge degrees of trees

Let mij(G) be the number of edges of graph G, connecting vertices of degrees i and j. Necessary and sufficient conditions are established on a symmetric matrix M of type Δ × Δ such that there is a tree T for which Mij = mij(T) holds for all i, j

El Concepto de Polí­tica Cultural en el Proyecto de Autogestión Yugoslavo

The paper points to the importance of culture in the project of Yugoslav socialist self- management and explores, in the first place, the doctrinal interpretation of culture as a sector, as an integrative factor for the socio-political system, and as a regulator of values and concepts. Different modalities of cultural policy are explored in the context of socialist self-management, and a model for their classification is suggested, which can clarify more clearly the peculiarities of the cultural policy of socialist self-management and grasp their relevance for our time. Given the notion of culture as an integral part of the project of establishing a socialist self-managing society, also seen as its “core,” the failure of the project of Yugoslav socialist self-management could be viewed not as primarily a political or economic one but as a failure in the field of culture.Este artí­culo destaca la importancia de la cultura en el proyecto de autogestión socialista yugoslava. Explora, en primer lugar, la interpretación doctrinal de la cultura como sector, como factor integrador del sistema sociopolí­tico y como regulador de valores y conceptos. Se exploran diferentes modalidades de polí­tica cultural en el contexto de la autogestión socialista, y se sugiere un modelo para su clasificación, que puede aclarar de manera más efectiva las peculiaridades de la polí­tica cultural de autogestión socialista y comprender su relevancia para nuestro tiempo. Dada que la noción de cultura es una parte integral del proyecto de una sociedad socialista de autogestión, también vista como su "núcleo", el fracaso del proyecto de autogestión socialista yugoslava podrí­a verse no solo como una cuestión polí­tica o económica, sino además como un fracaso en el campo de la cultura

Early Prediction of Patient Mortality Based on Routine Laboratory Tests and Predictive Models in Critically Ill Patients

We propose a method for quantitative analysis of predictive power of laboratory tests and early detection of mortality risk by usage of predictive models and feature selection techniques. Our method allows automatic feature selection, model selection, and evaluation of predictive models. Experimental evaluation was conducted on patients with renal failure admitted to ICUs (medical intensive care, surgical intensive care, cardiac, and cardiac surgery recovery units) at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Data are extracted from Multi parameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care III (MIMIC-III) database. We built and evaluated different single (e.g. Logistic regression) and ensemble (e.g. Random Forest) learning methods. Results revealed high predictive accuracy (area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) values >86%) from day four, with acceptable results on the second (>81%) and third day (>85%). Random forests seem to provide the best predictive accuracy. Feature selection techniques Gini and ReliefF scored best in most cases. Lactate, white blood cells, sodium, anion gap, chloride, bicarbonate, creatinine, urea nitrogen, potassium, glucose, INR, hemoglobin, phosphate, total bilirubin, and base excess were most predictive for hospital mortality. Ensemble learning methods are able to predict hospital mortality with high accuracy, based on laboratory tests and provide ranking in predictive priority

Some aspects of physical metallurgy of microalloyed steels

Some aspects of deformation, precipitation, and recrystallization behavior in medium carbon V-microalloyed and low carbon Nb/Ti-microalloyed steels are presented in the paper. Changes in microstructure are explained together with methods of quantification. The temperature of No-recrystallization (Tnr) is defined as a milestone to show the onset of retardation of recrystallization while the apparent activation energy for hot working shows the extent of this retardation. In the case of high cooling rates, this method is not sufficiently sensitive and Trl (recrystallization limit temperature) and Trs (recrystallization stop temperature) must be evaluated from softening data. Paper presented the possibility to estimate Tnr temperature on six stands finishing train at Hot Strip Mill in HBIS Iron and Steel Serbia, Smederevo as well as the activation energy for static recrystallization, QSRX, derived from Tnr temperatures